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Portfolios%3D%22509%22%20and%20Sort_Artist%3D%22Beckwith,%20James%20Carroll%22
Painting
Fame
James Carroll Beckwith, (Hannibal, MO, 1852 – 1917, New York, NY)
Beckwith, James Carroll
United States
1852 - 1917
Male
Primary
22 1/2 x 23 3/4 in. (57.2 x 60.3 cm)
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.
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overall
frame
Oil
Oil
1878
1878
1878
Painting
In ancient times, the laurel wreath connoted victory. A wreathed skull, however, came to symbolize the transience of fame and glory and was referred to as a memento mori (“remember you will die”). A painting that included this type of imagery is called a vanitas.
Beckwith was widely known for lush portraits of women and light-filled landscapes. It’s interesting to speculate about the circumstances that compelled him to paint such a somber picture. Written on the back of the painting is this phrase, which is, perhaps, a clue: Gathered this laurel in the “Boboli Gardens” Florence spring of 1878 – Painted in Paris summer of 1878. Carroll Beckwith April 20 – 1915.
[Gallery label text]
yes, verso
2009.75
item
Memorial Art Gallery
5/7/2009
2009.75DI1
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/2009.75_I1.JPG
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/2009.75_A1.jpg
2009.75DI#2
digital image
11/20/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/2009.75_A2.jpg